Exclusive: Sen. Padilla applauds Harris' "holistic, thoughtful" immigration approach
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Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) speaks at a Biden-Harris campaign and DNC press conference on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) touted Vice President Kamala Harris as "pivotal in engaging" with Central and South American countries to address causes of hemispheric migration at an Axios House event Tuesday during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Why it matters: Harris was tapped by President Biden to lead the administration's coordination with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to target factors driving migration to the border. That role positioned Harris as a target for Republican criticism that has followed her to the campaign trail.
- Padilla became the first Latino to represent California in the Senate when he was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020 to fill the seat vacated by Harris.
- He has close personal ties to Harris — and has emerged as her close Senate ally. Padilla has been floated as a possible contender for a cabinet post should she win the White House in November.
What they're saying: "She said it as a candidate for president, and she's saying it now: We can't forget Dreamers, farmworkers, other long-term undocumented immigrants," Padilla told Telemundo's Julio Vaqueiro. "That's the holistic, thoughtful approach to immigration that we're going to build on when she wins."
Friction point: Padilla, a child of Mexican immigrants, has diverged from members of his party on issues of border security in the past, notably over Biden's June executive order allowing border officials to turn away migrants who illegally cross the border without a chance at asylum when crossings reach a consecutive 7-day average of 2,500 a day.
- "Some of my opposition and concerns was based on the merits, the legality or constitutionality of changing the asylum system," he said Tuesday, framing the policy as "an enforcement-only, punitive approach."
- But he also pointed to the second immigration-related executive order Biden signed that same month, paving an easier path to citizenship for half a million undocumented immigrants married to US citizens.
- "That's what I'm talking about: a more balanced, more comprehensive, more thoughtful approach," he said.
State of play: According to a recent Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll, Democrats have closed what was a large enthusiasm gap among Latino voters, with the Harris-Walz ticket notably galvanizing millennial and Gen-Z Latino voters.
- 83% of registered Latino Democratic voters (up from 71% in July) and 84% of Latino Republican voters (compared to 86% last month) now report they're extremely likely to vote.
The bottom line: While Harris has seen a boost among Latino voters, she is still lagging behind the support Democrats have historically needed to win the White House.
- "She needs to continue to do what she is doing," Padilla said when asked how she could engage that key voting bloc.
- "What I'm worried about is we have 77 days to get the message out and organize the Latino community," he said. "Because when they're properly informed, they will vote the right way."
Go deeper: Scoop: An inside look at Harris' Senate brain trust
